Stay up-to-date on the latest news, trends and perspectives in media and philanthropy.

We are so heartbroken by the sudden passing of Jessica Clark, a longtime consultant, collaborator and friend to Media Impact Funders, and the founder and director of Dot Connector Studio. Jessica passed away on Oct. 28. Jessica’s work helped shape much of how we—and the broader field—think about media impact. As MIF’s former Director of Research and Strategy, she brought extraordinary insight and creativity to our collective efforts to help funders and practitioners better understand how storytelling drives change. In addition to the rigorous quality of her research and analysis, Jessica brought a whimsical style to her work—always balancing complex ideas with humor and imagination. She delivered lessons about media impact on laminated place mats, on brightly designed decks of cards, and even with a spinning dial, Twister-style—anything to bring ideas to life in a creative, joyful way. Jessica was instrumental in shaping MIF’s programming, including the relaunch of the Media Impact Festival in 2013/14, which celebrated storytelling’s capacity to strengthen communities and transform society. Her frameworks, tools and curiosity helped build a shared language for understanding how media moves people and inspires change. In the 12 years Jessica spearheaded Dot Connector Studio,… Read More

Last month in Charlotte, N.C., Media Impact Funders co-hosted a keynote conversation with Press Forward on the future of public media in a moment of profound change. With the federal government eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the first time in more than 50 years, local public radio and television stations—especially those in rural, Tribal, and under-resourced communities—are facing immediate threats to their sustainability. Yet the conversation made clear: This moment is not only a crisis. It is also an opportunity to reimagine what public media can be. Moderated by MIF Board Chair Kayce Ataiyero, the panelists clearly articulated the value of public media and explored several questions around how to rebuild a system that can keep serving communities for generations to come. Luis Patiño, CEO of Austin PBS, noted, stations have always served entire communities across a lifetime, providing trusted journalism, educational children’s programming, music and arts coverage, and independent documentary film. “Public media serves the whole person,” he said. “Our value comes from our deep relationship with community, and that’s what makes new models possible.” For Ju-Don Marshall, Chief Content Officer at WFAE in… Read More

During our latest Safeguarding Media and Journalism meeting, we discussed the complex questions funders face about what is—and isn’t—permissible when supporting media and journalism in today’s shifting legal and policy landscape. We heard from Maya Raghu—Director of the Protecting and Advancing Diversity Equity, and Inclusion Initiative at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law—who offered guidance on funding initiatives related to DEI and Abby Levine—Associate General Counsel and Senior Policy Counsel at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation—who offered guidance on funding advocacy efforts.  … Read More

In just four years, The Carmack Collective has established itself as one of the boldest philanthropic actors in the climate space. To support movement building and cultural change, Carmack invests in a range of media activities, from investigative journalism to comedy, animation, and gaming. Throughout this work, they remain committed to trust-based philanthropy and a belief in the power of storytelling to challenge assumptions about fossil fuel and climate change. In this Member Spotlight Q&A, Carmack’s Founder and Executive Director Jessie Bluedorn and Director Ricky Benavidez share how Carmack is countering industry disinformation, rethinking philanthropy’s role in narrative change, and building a pipeline of creative projects designed to shift culture at scale. Nina Sachdev: I don’t think we can talk about Carmack’s mission of combatting and dismantling the fossil fuel industry without talking about the persistent narratives that the industry uses to maintain its power. Fossil fuel companies have invested heavily in shaping public perception for decades. How is Carmack thinking about countering them through media and storytelling? Jessie Bluedorn: One of the most prolific and harmful false narratives is that fossil fuels are essential and therefore good. For example, we see this narrative pushed by industry via numerous TV ads depicting a… Read More

Last week, we welcomed Media Impact Funders’ new executive director Abby Rapoport with an online meet-and-greet for funders. The conversation, moderated by MIF board chair Kayce Ataiyero, was shaped by questions submitted in advance by funders, and offered Abby a chance to reflect on her career path, share what drew her to MIF at this moment, and outline her early priorities for the organization. The following is an edited Q&A from that exchange. Kayce Ataiyero: You’ve done a lot in a really eclectic and interesting career. Why MIF? Why now? Abby Rapoport:  I started as a journalist and that was kind of where I thought I would stay for my whole career. I loved being a reporter and I also was lucky because my career started at, what I didn’t realize at the time, was an extraordinary moment of change in the field. It was the very beginning of nonprofit journalism’s ascendancy. I was the first employee at the Texas Tribune. I got to see how that nonprofit was set up and started. Then I ended up working in publishing, and have been a small-scale publisher for the past… Read More

Last week, Congress passed H.R. 4, the Rescissions Act of 2025, which cuts $1.1 billion from public media funding, delivering a devastating blow to the institutions that millions of Americans depend on for trusted information, education, and connection. This decision is unthinkable—and unacceptable. Public media has long served as a critical thread in the fabric of our democracy—fostering civic participation, providing educational resources for children, delivering emergency information, and telling the stories of our diverse communities. These cuts threaten the ability of public media to fulfill its mission, but they also underscore the urgency of supporting its evolution. In order to be solutions-focused and forward-thinking, we should look at this as a chance to reimagine public media’s role as a trusted backbone of civic life. As public media is being reshaped, here are some questions for funders to consider as we envision its future together: ? How can philanthropy support public media’s transformation from a traditional broadcaster into a platform for local information and community storytelling? ? What investments in technology, partnerships, and infrastructure will help public media better serve communities at the neighborhood and regional level? ? How can funders help public media deepen trust and… Read More